Trainee journalist at Cardiff JOMEC, English & German graduate from the University of Exeter, former editor of Exeposé student newspaper and winner of 'Best Interview' at the 2017 Student Publication Association national awards.

Hegmann did say that women often have stricter criteria than men when searching for a lover.

“A man looks for a partner who seems attractive and considerate,” he said.

“A woman has more criteria: her man should be engaging and affectionate, make her feel like she is his number one priority, and give her the impression that he can take care of her and their future family.

“For these reasons, a woman often won’t consider a man who is unemployed.”

Women certainly don’t look for tight-fisted lovers, he said – adding that “stinginess is never “cool” in the hunt for a partner.”

Meanwhile, the Postbank survey highlighted big differences in attitudes between East and West Germany.

Overall, around 16 per cent of West Germans said they’d like their other half to be the bigger earner. In East Germany, only 5 per cent of respondents said the same.

‘We don’t talk about money.’

The Postbank survey found that the younger a couple was, the more likely there were to value emotion more highly than salary.

However, it also revealed that younger respondents were less likely to know what their partner’s earnings were.

Around 20 per cent of German couples keep their finances completely separate from each other, said Hegmann.

“For these couples, each partner is responsible for their own financial affairs,” he said.

This can have its advantages. “For example, there won’t be any arguments about that expensive pair of shoes, the new television or other impulse buys.”

Six per cent of Germans couples take things even further, he added – simply not talking about money at all with their partner.

This “we don’t talk about money” principle helps to keep the peace in the relationship, Hegmann said.

However, around a third of couples take on joint responsibility for the finances, he added – and in around 20 per cent of cases, the woman takes charge of all money matters, manage both the couple’s joint account and her partner’s finances.